Page 16 - Work Force November 2018

CSEA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, continued from Page 10
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The labor movement is the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” Union members are proof of that progress.
Our future as a movement is bright. We have something that money can’t buy. We have commitment, we have dedication, we have solidarity, we have each other.
Billionaires may have more money, but working people have power in numbers. We must continue to reach out to every one
of our members and truly listen to their concerns and ideas, and involve them in building our union. We need to use our collective voices to work toward preserving all we have gained. By staying union and staying strong — and sticking together — we will win.
Stay Union – Stay Strong! Respectfully submitted,
Mary E. Sullivan
Executive Vice President
local power plant (which got its assessment lowered) some years back. We also ratified a deal in Dutchess County, where our members do tremendous work and where our longtime Local and Unit President Liz Piraino has provided exceptional leadership. We showed the benefits of being union when we were securing a deal with our Cornwall Central School District Custodial Unit, bringing in our Health Benefits Specialist to help the District save money on insurance costs while keeping top notch coverage.
On the state side, we continue working
to address our members’ concerns and issues. Dealing with the Justice Center remains
a challenge for our members working
in direct care, though improvements in expedited arbitration have helped us move the disciplinary process on more quickly in many cases. We continue to address concerns over mandated overtime, which puts undue pressure on our members, who do the
best job they can under often exhausting circumstances. We continue to work to improve working conditions for our members from our Department of Transportation locals, who do a tremendous job despite doing some of the most dangerous work
out there. They are due more respect from the members of the general public, many of whom have no idea how many miles of road
Lester Crockett in the 2018 New York City Labor Day Parade.
These detailed accounts are just a portion of the hard work that CSEA activists contribute to our union and the community. None of these accomplishments were done by one person. Groups of members had to work together to bring these ideas to fruition. We must keep that same sense of camaraderie and solidarity to continue along the upward trajectory that made CSEA the largest public employees union in New York State.
The one percenters may have won the Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 battle, but unions will win the war.
This is not the first time we have been attacked by billionaires and corporate interest groups and as you can see, CSEA is still here.
We do not give up and we never quit. Stay Union, Stay Strong!
Respectfully submitted,
Nick LaMorte
Long Island Region President
and bridges our members maintain, with extreme weather this year making the job even tougher.
I would like to thank my officers and members for all they have done over the
past year to help us build a stronger CSEA. We knew we would be in for a change once the Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 decision came down from the U.S. Supreme Court, but the response has been far more positive than negative. We have workers who were not members, for whatever reason, who have called saying they want to sign up. That is where our activists come in. They are the boots on the ground making that happen and they are doing a great job. Even while we have been focused on this work, they have also kept up with the many good things we do throughout the year, whether it is planning a golf tournament to raise funds for college scholarships or jumping into freezing cold waters in February to raise money for Special Olympics.
I would like to thank our staff for going above and beyond, as usual. Whether it is knocking on doors during a blitz or standing up to management in this post-Janus world, they have been undeterred by challenges and are just as fired up as our membership when it comes to maintaining a strong union. They are alongside us during late nights at
At the AFL-CIO COPE convention, I stood with my brothers and sisters in pledging our support for those elected officials who have stood with us in the face of the ongoing attacks on labor. I’m so proud that through the efforts of CSEA and other unions, workers in New York were able to make a significant change to the Taylor Law that respected the important and intrinsic role we perform as public workers.
Finally, I’d like to offer my sincerest thanks and appreciation to two brothers who went above and beyond the call of duty for our members and our union and have started new chapters in their respective lives.
Joel Schwartz has been a lifelong activist who held many roles primarily at the South Beach Psychiatric Center, where he was beloved as their president and more recently as the Region 2 Deputy Director of Contract Administration. Joel, your heart and your politics have always been in the right place (to the left, of course) and your dedication and commitment to our members and to social,
legislative meetings or paying early morning visits to highway garages, doing whatever
it takes to get the job done. I appreciate
the strong leadership of Southern Region Director Charisse Seneres in getting our goals accomplished and keeping us on the right track.
In closing, I would like to challenge our rank and file membership to get involved over the coming year. Get a non-member
to sign a membership application. Attend a membership meeting. Volunteer to be a shop steward. Help our political action efforts by phone banking or knocking on doors to help our endorsed candidates. It is easy to think that our busy schedules mean we do not have time for our union, but all of us doing a
little bit will yield big results. The individuals funding anti-union campaigns may have deep pockets, but we have the power in numbers. Just as we showed when we overwhelmingly defeated the proposition last year to hold a state constitutional convention, our people power can defeat deep-pocketed billionaires every time if we stick together.
Stay Union, Stay Strong! Respectfully submitted,
Billy Riccaldo
Southern Region President
racial and economic justice will forever serve as an example and inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to have crossed paths with you. Thank you my brother Joel.
In a short, yet savory time, Jose La Luz joined our union and quite literally stoked the fire we had burning in all of us. His enthusiasm was contagious and his ability to reach, teach and keep members interested and involved in our union is a testament to a life well spent in the service of working men and women. Thank you my brother Jose.
I look forward to seeing and engaging with you all during the conference and throughout the year as we work to strengthen and grow our mighty, mighty union.
Respectfully submitted,
Lester Crockett
Metropolitan Region President
The Long Island Region Women’s Committee has also held several events, including a toy drive; all donations went to Outreach in Brentwood, NY. The committee also held a comedy night, which raised more than $2,000 for Relay for Life.
The Long Island Region Human Rights Committee threw another successful International Day Festival. Members
and their families came to celebrate CSEA’s diversity with ethnic cuisine and entertainment. The event is also where we drew the names of our region “Send a Kid to Camp Scholarship” winners; $10,000 in camp scholarship money was awarded.
I am also very proud of our region activists who attended the AFSCME Working People Day of Action rally in New York City. Their attendance showed that they are dedicated activists that will never allow corporate interest groups to manipulate them out of CSEA membership.
The Long Island Region was also proud to support Metropolitan Region 2 President
16 The Work Force
November 2018
SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 13
LONG ISLAND REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 12
METROPOLITAN REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 12